Dullahan Beats!
by Tsubasa8
Summary: In this same place, where she had seen a girl who had her face; now there was a girl who had her voice.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story takes place around the halfway point of the "Durarara!" anime series.  
>It is also possibly subject to slight tweaks from canon; may be considered AU.<br>Please excuse the lame title of this story.

Disclaimer: "Angel Beats!" is property of Aniplex, P.A. Works, ASCII Media Works, Key, Jun Maeda, etc.  
>"Durarara!" is property of Aniplex, Brain's Base, ASCII Media Works, Ryohgo Narita, Square Enix, etc.<br>Song translation is from Atashi's website "Words of Songs."

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><p><span>Dullahan Beats!<span>

Twenty years. That was how long Celty Sturluson had been in this foreign land, this country, this city. She had stormed off after Shinra had once again told her she should stop looking for her head. He didn't understand, or maybe he did; but then that made what he said worse. Her cell phone rang, and she looked at the screen; not because she was expecting it to be Shinra, but because it might have been another job for her. Sure enough, she was to pick up and deliver another package. She didn't know who the client was, but personally, she was glad if she found out the job had nothing to do with Orihara Izaya. Then again, being Izaya, it was possible he had to do with anything.

_Iradachi o doko ni butsukeru ka sagashiteru aida ni owaru hi  
>Sora wa haiiro o shite sono saki wa nani mo mienai<br>Joushiki butteru yatsu ga waratteru tsugi wa donna uso o iu?  
>Sore de erareta mono daiji ni kazatte okeru no?<br>Demo asu e to susumanakya naranai  
>Dakara kou utau yo<em>

_The day ends while I'm searching for where I can vent my irritations to  
>The sky turns gray and I can't see anything beyond it<br>Those who feign common sense are laughing; what kind of lies will they tell next?  
>Can you leave the things gotten that way carefully displayed?<br>But I must move forward to tomorrow  
>So I'll sing like this<em>

Celty was in the same courtyard, by herself, where she had once sat with Heiwajima Shizuo. It was strange, how since she had come to this place she had managed to become acquaintances with a number of its inhabitants. Those who knew she really was a headless rider, a dullahan, even treated her as if she were human. Although, sometimes she had to wonder if she wasn't more normal than they were. Regardless, she found herself growing attached to Ikebukuro and its people. As a dullahan she had traveled alone with only her faithful steed for company. Here, she was able to find something brighter.

_Naiteru kimi koso kodoku na kimi koso  
>Tadashii yo ningen rashii yo<br>Otoshita namida ga kou iu yo  
>Konna ni mo utsukushii uso ja nai hontou no bokura o arigatou<em>

_It's you who are crying, it's you who are lonely  
>You're right, you're being human<br>Tears I've shed will say this  
>It's not a lie that it's so beautiful, even like this; thank you for our true selves<em>

She speculated whether she had ever felt such emotions when she was in Ireland. – She needed her head if she wanted to clearly remember the past. No matter what Shinra said, or how accustomed she became to Ikebukuro, she would never give up her search. She knew it was here, somewhere… knowing it was so close both comforted and frustrated her. The day when she would finally have her head back in her arms… she would consider what she would do from then on afterward.

_Kanaetai yume ya todokanai yume ga aru koto  
>Sore jitai ga yume ni nari kibou ni nari hito wa ikite ikerun daro<br>Tobira wa aru soko de matte iru  
>Dakara te o nobasu yo<em>

_There are dreams you want to fulfill and dreams you can't reach  
>That itself turns into a dream, turns into hope, and people are able to live on, right?<br>A door exists; it's waiting there  
>So I'll reach out my hands<em>

For the first time since she had sat down Celty regarded her surroundings. There weren't many people around; which suited her just fine, since she wouldn't have to deal with anyone getting overexcited about seeing the Headless Rider. It made her question however, why the girl across the quadrangle had chosen here to perform. Not only was she playing her acoustic guitar in a place with little foot traffic, but she was standing next to the murmuring fountain. Still, the noise from the flowing water didn't impede Celty from listening to her song. In fact, the girl's voice sounded quite clear, reeling in Celty's attention like a fishing line.

_Kujiketa kimi ni wa mou ichido tatakaeru tsuyosa to jishin to kono uta o  
>Otoshita namida ga kou iu yo<br>Konna ni mo yogorete minikui sekai de deaeta kiseki ni arigatou_

_For you who are crushed, here's the strength and confidence for you to be able to fight again and my song  
>Tears I've shed will say this<br>Thank you to the miracle that we were able to meet in a dirty and ugly world, even like this_

In an instant, something tugged at Celty's consciousness. The girl's voice was not only clear – it was jarringly familiar. It was a familiarity tied to memories Celty recalled from the past – when she would utter the name of the person she was to take into death. It was that voice – the voice of the singing girl. Without thinking, Celty abruptly rose from where she was sitting. In this same place, where she had seen a girl who had her face; now there was a girl who had her voice.

Yet she had to be careful if she wanted to approach her. The last time Celty had gone after a girl who reminded her of herself, Harima Mika, the girl had fled in a fright. When she saw another girl whom the singer appeared to know join her, Celty took it as her chance. The likelihood of her becoming frightened off would be less if she had a friend with her. As casually as she could, the dullahan walked toward them.

The first to notice her approaching was the girl's friend; a female in her teen years with long chestnut hair tied into a high ponytail. Her silver eyes widened as she watched Celty draw near and a hand clamped onto her friend's shoulder. "Iwasawa! It's the Headless Rider!"

"Hisako, stop shaking me! You're acting like Sekine."

Celty stopped a short distance from them and studied the girl named 'Iwasawa.' As odd as it may have been to think, her head looked nothing like Celty's. Her magenta hair was long enough to touch her shoulders, and her eyes of vermillion were observing Celty in the most nonchalant manner she had ever seen of someone who laid eyes upon her.

"… the Headless Rider?"

Quickly, Celty took out her PDA and ran her fingers across the screen.

"Please, call me Celty," Iwasawa read off the device held in front of her.

"Uwa, she can communicate in Japanese," Hisako said in surprise.

The soft sound of Celty's gloved fingers typing preceded another message. [If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak with you, Iwasawa-san.]

Though the screen was directed to Iwasawa, as close as she was, Hisako read the request as well. Something about this seemed strange. Before Iwasawa could respond, Hisako stretched an arm out across her and said to Celty, "Hang on a minute. I know I called you the Headless Rider, but who are you, really?" She stared into Celty's visor; but no matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't see any sign of a person within the stylized helmet.

Iwasawa placed a hand on Hisako's arm and gently pushed it down. "Hisako, relax."

"Iwasa-"

She placated her friend with a smile and an assurance: "I'm not going to disappear again any time soon."

Naturally, Celty didn't understand the meaning behind Iwasawa's words; but they seemed to have some effect, as the brunette looked momentarily stricken before subsiding into a sulk.

Iwasawa turned to the dullahan and said, "I'm sorry, but I have a band meeting to go to. If you'd like however, I can exchange contact information with you."

Celty nodded her consent and produced her cell phone.

**- Chatroom -**

Kanra: Hey~ Did you know? There's supposedly a new gang hanging around the area!

Setton: Eh? Really?

Tanaka Tarou: Is it another colour gang? Or…?

Kanra: They don't use colours, nope. They have a kind of emblem instead. It's like a shield with three S's on it.

Tanaka Tarou: Three S's?

Setton: What do they mean?

Kanra: Who knows~?

Setton: You actually know, don't you?

Kanra: Ehhh? How can you assume something like that?

Tanaka Tarou: Do you know what the group is like?

Kanra: Hmmm, they pretty much keep to themselves, like the Dollars.

Tanaka Tarou: Like the Dollars, huh…

Kanra: Well, they haven't been in the news like the Dollars though. Maybe it's more accurate to say they're a private club?

Setton: Why bring it up, then?

Kanra: Why not? It has a mysterious feel to it like the Headless Rider, doesn't it? You might even meet one of the members some day.

Tanaka Tarou: I wouldn't even know it if I did.

Setton: That's true. Ah, I'll be logging off now. Goodnight!

Tanaka Tarou: Goodnight, Setton-san! I'll be going too, I have to wake up early. Bye!

Kanra: Aww, okay. 'Night you two~!

-Setton-san has left the chatroom-

-Tanaka Tarou-san has left the chatroom-

-Kanra-san has left the chatroom-

**- One Evening** -

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Iwasawa and Celty were sitting next to each other on a park bench in south Ikebukuro. The sailor suit next to a rider suit combination appeared to be just as effective at deterring park-goers from approaching them as the bartender suit next to a rider suit combination. Celty was thankful for that, because she didn't want to have their conversation interrupted.

[I know this is going to sound strange, but your voice – it sounds exactly like mine.]

After reading the text, Iwasawa looked at Celty. "Hnnn… How do you know that if you have no head?"

Even more surprising that the detached expression on the girl's face was the ease with which she asked that question. She didn't look at all disturbed by the possibility that there was a living being with no head beside her. Rather, Celty was the one who was surprised.

[Well, when I used to have my head and it would speak… your voice is what it sounded like.]

Iwasawa's eyes widened a fraction – the only change in her expression. "… Do you really have no head?"

Celty hesitated. If Iwasawa asked to see underneath her helmet, she would show her, like she had with the boy Ryuugamine Mikado. She had a feeling Iwasawa wouldn't scream even if she didn't ask her not to. What she did not want however was for other people in the park to see.

[Do you want me to show you?]

Iwasawa glanced up at her. Even with no head, Celty's particular brand of the senses could see the girl's regarding scarlet eyes in the twilight. It was a nonjudgmental sort of look, the kind which she would expect to find from Shizuo during one of their conversations.

"No. It's alright. I don't know what you expect me to say, though. It's only a coincidence, isn't it?"

[Perhaps, but… it's somehow reassuring to hear my voice, even though it's actually your own.]

If there were a head underneath Celty's helmet, Iwasawa would have been staring her in the eyes. "So? What do you want to do about it?"

In truth, Celty hadn't planned on what to do once she had the chance to speak with the girl. All she knew was that she wanted to talk with her. If she kept the conversation going, she could listen to the voice that sounded like her own for at least a little while.

[I'll tell you about myself. Would you mind doing the same?]

It was Iwasawa's turn to hesitate. It wasn't that she minded talking about herself; but there were certain parts about her past she wasn't sure would be prudent to share with an outsider. A certain girl with a ribbon in her hair mightn't have approved anyway. Of course, it wasn't necessary to tell this person everything. For now she assented to speaking a little about herself; after Celty had explained who she was, where she was from, and why she was here in Japan.

**- Another Chatroom -**

Shiorin: She said you have her voice?

Miyukichi: That's kind of creepy…

Hisako: What's with that? And is she really a headless rider?

Iwasawa: Yeah, she said she's a dullahan.

Shiorin: A what?

Christ: A dullahan – a headless Irish fairie whom acts as death's herald, riding a black horse and carrying its head underneath one arm.

Hinacchi: Ohh, I didn't know you were knowledgeable about kind of stuff too, Takeyama.

Christ: I'm not, I simply Googled it. And call me Christ.

Takamatsu: I believe it's also an enemy from the "Golden Sun" video game series.

Yurippe: We don't need to know that.

TK: _Game Over!_

Iwasawa: She's in Ikebukuro looking for her head. Apparently it went missing while she was in Ireland.

Matsushita: That's a long a distance for a head to travel. How did it get here?

Yurippe: Obviously some sicko stole it! Whoever has it now must be an even bigger sicko!

Otonashi: Is 'sicko' your favorite word now?

Ooyama: Isn't anyone else bothered by the fact that we're talking about a headless fairy in Japan?

Otonashi: We all thought Kanade was an angel for a while.

Ooyama: But that was in the afterlife.

Shiinacchi: How shallow-minded.

Yurippe: Quit being so inflexible, Ooyama-kun! Anyway, it looks like the urban legend about the Headless Rider is actually true.

Hisako: Iwasawa, did you actually see she had no head?

Iwasawa: She offered to show me but I said she didn't have to. The second time she offered she said we could do it somewhere in private.

Yui-nyan: Wha – wait! What's Iwasawa-senpai doing in private?

Hinacchi: Dummy, read the log before commenting.

Yui-nyan: Who are you calling dummy, idiot? I wanted to get in on the action right away!

Hinacchi: If you want to get in on the action then take the time to learn what we're discussing!

Otonashi: If you two are going to carry on like this you should probably PM one another.

Iwasawa: I didn't think she had a reason to lie about it after what she told me.

Fujimaki: Maybe she's just trying to be trendy.

Otonashi: What's so trendy about having no head?

Hinacchi: A lot of people seem to have no head these days. You know, like Noda.

Noda: What did you say?

Iwasawa: I spoke with her for a while, but I didn't tell her anything about our past or the Shinda Sekai Sensen.

Yurippe: That's probably for the best. Someone who acts as death's herald might have mixed feelings about our situation. If she wants to continue meeting, be careful about it.

Iwasawa: Alright.

Yurippe: Okay, that'll be all for now. Dismissed!

**- Somewhere in Tokyo -**

Although it was well into the evening, there were many places in Tokyo still buzzing with people. One such place was an internet café where two girls had taken up a couple of computers by the far wall. If any nosy passerby's had glanced at their screens, they would have wondered at them being in the same chatroom.

One of the girls turned to the other after logging out. "Are you going to meet her again?"

The other girl casually replied, "She asked if contacting me again would be alright and I said it'd be fine."

The chair squeaked as its occupant crossed her arms and leant back. "I'm still uneasy about it. This is the supernatural we're dealing with after all."

"Right, because we've never had to deal with _that_ before." A slight smirk accompanied the sarcastic reply.

"That was different. We were dead back then."

Considering ruby eyes met disquieted silver. "I never knew you to be such a worrier, Hisako."

Hisako stared. "I'm not worried. I'm concerned."

"That's the same thing."

Rolling her seat back, Hisako grabbed her bag and stood. "I don't know about you, Iwasawa-_san_, but I'm going home."

Iwasawa rested her arm on her chair's backrest. "Home? What are you planning to eat? We don't have anything."

"– Ah." A look of feeble realization appeared on Hisako's face.

With a slight sigh of exasperation, Iwasawa got to her feet with her book bag in hand. "Let's go buy some groceries."

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><p>AN: The song Iwasawa sings is "My Song" from "Angel Beats!"  
>Miyuki Sawashiro is the Japanese voice actress for Celty and Iwasawa.<br>Shinda Sekai Sensen = Afterlife Battlefront


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm playing around a bit with the ages for the characters from "Angel Beats!" You'll see what I mean, and if you don't, then it's all good.

Disclaimer: "Angel Beats!" is property of Aniplex, P.A. Works, ASCII Media Works, Key, Jun Maeda, etc.  
>Durarara!" is property of Aniplex, Brain's Base, ASCII Media Works, Ryohgo Narita, Square Enix, etc.<p>

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

Raira Academy was a difficult private school to get into. It wasn't necessarily because of the academics needed or the exam one needed to take to be eligible, but because of how many people applied. It was therefore nearly inconceivable that someone would be able to transfer into the school during the school year; and yet, it had happened, and with a third-year student no less. As it was a seemingly unnatural occurrence, of course the school was abuzz over the student, the news even reaching to the second and first-years.

"She's been at this school for a while but I've yet to see her. Ahh, it's such a shame…" a boy with dyed hair and piercings in his ear lamented to his childhood friend. "Say, what do you think of searching for her after school tomorrow?"

"Do you mean to stalk her?"

"No, no, no." The boy waved an index finger. "I merely wish to polish myself by basking in her presence. It's only natural I should want to sample this otherworldly beauty the third-years speak of. Of course, I'll want to talk to her if I get the chance."

His friend glanced at the girl who was walking with them. "Masaomi, I don't think we should be talking about this in front of Sonohara-san."

"Ah, no, it's alright," the girl softly spoke up. "I mean, I don't mind."

"Anri, please don't worry," Kida Masaomi declared with a flourish of his hand. "My eyes wish to seek all pretty girls but my heart is only for you."

Anri's only response was to timidly look at her feet.

"Please go out with me!"

The trio stopped suddenly when they heard a cry from the pathway below. Masaomi leant over the railing to see what the commotion was.

"Ohhh, a confession! And look – it's her, it's her!" he excitedly whispered to his friends.

On the path was a Raira Academy third-year boy and girl. The girl's silver hair and amber eyes gave her away as the transfer student the student body had been talking about. She was watching the inclined head of the boy in front of her, whom had apparently just confessed.

"I'm sorry," she gently spoke, "but I already have a boyfriend."

"Please, at least consider me!" the boy insisted.

"Hey, hey, you're not going to win her over with that kind of talk." Masaomi appeared behind the girl with a grin on his face.

The third-year boy flinched at his interruption but quickly recovered. "Aren't you a first-year? What do you think you're doing talking to an upperclassman like that?"

"While it's true underclassmen should respect their uppers, I think that respect is only reserved for those who are deserving. Wouldn't you agree, senpai?" Masaomi gave him a withering look, but his lips remained poised in a smile.

The boy trembled with irritation. There was a slight movement from his arm. "You –!"

"Please don't address our kouhai with aggression." The voice of the female transfer student cut through.

He looked from the girl to Masaomi, feelings of confliction evident in his face, before he brusquely turned and slunk off.

"Thank you for your help," the girl said to Masaomi.

"I would help any pretty girl in need." He waved an arm and bowed like a gentleman. "Kida Masaomi, at your service. These are my associates, Sonohara Anri and Ryuugamine Mikado."

The girl nodded and responded in kind. "Tachibana Kanade."

"I couldn't help overhearing, but is it true you have a boyfriend or was that a ruse for him to leave you alone?"

"It is true. Ah, please excuse me. I have a prior engagement I must attend to." There was a resolution in her voice which attested that what she said was the truth. She left the three first-years behind and went on her way.

"Ah boyfriend, eh? Well, that's not much of a deterrent. Besides, I could tell she was totally into me," Masaomi said with a contemplative hand on his chin. "Hm?" He tilted his head to one side. "How strange. I feel like she reminds me of someone."

Mikado was thinking the same thing as he glanced beside him. Anri had a curious expression as she watched Kanade walk away.

**- The streets of Ikebukuro -**

"Ahhh, I can't believe we have to do the last year of high school over. As if being stuck as third-years in the afterlife wasn't enough."

"Well, it's not like we did any studying."

People would have been giving the pair of girls peculiar looks if they had overheard them talking about having been in the afterlife. That was not a typical topic of conversation for anyone, let alone for some teenage girls. At another place and time the girls might have been more mindful, but on the bustling crowded streets of Ikebukuro, they paid it no mind.

"I'm surprised you haven't decided to drop out and focus on music."

"I had planned to, but my mother insisted I finish. At least she let me come to the city. I still have a ways to go if I don't want to be dependent on my parents."

Hisako sobered at Iwasawa's mention of her parents. It wasn't often that she spoke of them. When she did, even though she seemed somewhat apathetic, Hisako considered them to be a prickly subject. To keep the conversation light, she responded, "These part-time jobs are a start. It'd be nice if someone signed us soon."

"For now we have to concentrate on our performances and songs," Iwasawa sagaciously replied. "I'm grateful that Yui is looking out for auditions and competitions."

When the band had initially reunited, they had considered what to do about Yui since she had effectively become part of the band when Iwasawa had disappeared. Yui had insisted that Iwasawa retake her position as the band's vocalist and rhythm guitarist, as she herself had become a fan of theirs with Iwasawa as their leader. Although she had said this, Yui couldn't help feeling affronted when Hisako, Sekine, and Irie readily agreed with her. According to the three, their kouhai had trouble simultaneously playing the guitar and singing. While Yui launched into a tirade against them, Iwasawa quietly thought to herself.

She proposed that Yui ought to sing the new songs the band had performed while she was gone, noting that she didn't feel right about singing someone else's song – not that she didn't like the song, but because it was something personal they had created. If the band were ever to perform such a song, Yui could sing and Iwasawa would handle the rhythm guitar. In the meantime Yui could continue practicing playing and singing until she was sufficiently capable.

As Hisako recalled, Yui had been adamant during one practice in the afterlife that a band hand more impact when the vocalist also played guitar – apparently this principle was tossed out the window when Iwasawas was involved. Yui had immediately become misty-eyed, thrown herself at Iwasawa and praised her as a gracious senpai. Hisako's comment that they had only come up with one song after Iwasawa's departure earned her a retort from Yui as a difficult senpai.

"I guess there are positives to her being a Girls Dead Monster fanatic," Hisako decided.

The girls parted with a wave to one another as they headed for their respective jobs. Hisako thought it was a shame Iwasawa had to do something as mundane as washing dishes, but the leader of Girls Dead Monster wasn't picky about part-time employment. The only thing she was ever particular about was her music; and according to her, washing dishes freed her mind to think about just that.

As for herself, Hisako had found a part-time job at a store that sold used books, CDs, and records. The atmosphere was leisurely and every once in a while she would enjoy getting into a discussion with patrons over various musical acts. She really hadn't thought she would be keen on music again after what had happened to the lead vocalist from the band she was in while living. When she met Iwasawa in the afterlife though… she couldn't help being drawn back in.

A ringing sound brought Hisako out of her reverie. She reached into her bag and checked the screen of her cell phone. 'Ahh… Yui.' She opened the message which had been sent:

_Heeyyyy everyone! I've got big news! Let's all meet at Russian Sushi so I can tell you, okay? ^ ^_

Hisako stared at the mail on her display. '… She didn't say what time.'

- **Somewhere else in Ikebukuro -**

"Ahhhh! I forgot to write the time!" Yui frantically typed out another message and sent it to the band members. "Whew… heehee, I wonder what looks they'll have on their faces when I tell them."

Somewhere behind her a voice said, "I feel like she's from a Dengeki Comic series…"

"Naw, a Key character! She's definitely a Key character!"

Yui turned to her left and spotted two people engrossed in conversation. From the direction of their excited gazes, Yui quickly deduced they were talking about herself. 'Eh? I'm a key character? A key character in what? Maybe they're weirdoes… I'd rather be around idiots than weirdoes, though.' Somewhere in Japan, several people sneezed.

One of the two observing Yui was a male wearing a light-blue hoodie, who said, "She's not a gal, is she?"

The other, a female dressed in black, replied, "A gal wouldn't wear shackles on her wrists or a wings-tail accessory on her back. She must be a cosplayer."

In her quest to try all activities that she could not do while she had been paralyzed, cosplaying had been one that Yui had come across, but not attempted. "HEY!" She zoomed over to the pair of strangers, getting up in their faces. "Yui isn't cosplaying! This is how Yui looks all the time!" she screeched.

"Eh, seriously?" The female glimpsed the tail of Yui's back accessory swinging to and fro on its own.

"Wow, first we meet someone whose name sounds like that of a protagonist from a manga series; and now someone who looks like a visual novel character!" The male clapped his hands in approval. "Hn? Karisawa-san, what's wrong?" He noticed his friend's eyes had moved from Yui's tail to somewhere along her neckline.

Karisawa Erika placed her hands on Yui's shoulders and stared more intently at the girl.

"E-Eh? What? What?" A bewildered Yui stuttered at the unexpected contact.

"Ohhh! What's this? A strawberry moment? GL?" Yumasaki Walker theatrically commented as he cupped his face in his hands.

Yui's head whipped from Yumasaki to Karisawa. "Huh? No way! Yui's already spoken for!" When Karisawa moved a hand from Yui's shoulder to her neck, Yui flung her arms up and inward with a shout, knocking Karisawa's hands away, and giving Yui a chance to escape down the path while yelling "pervert."

"Ahh! She's getting away!" Karisawa watched as the end of Yui's pointed tail disappeared around the corner.

"Whaat? Don't tell me you're that into her." Yumasaki sustained his ribbing of the situation.

"Not her – the necklace she was wearing. I'm sure it's something I made."

"Okay, but why was it cause for a strawberry moment?"

"The order the client put in was for a huge batch. That usually doesn't happen because clients want something one-of-a-kind. Even more curious was I was supposed to deliver it in the middle of the night to a girl wearing a muffler. I was busy though, so the black motorcycle delivered it for me."

"Maybe it's for a bunch of souer ceremonies. She said she was spoken for so you'll have to find someone else to be your imouto."

"Ehh? If I wanted an imouto it'd have to be someone more like Akagi Kouhei's younger sister."

"Why are you limiting yourself to someone with similar interests? Souers are supposed to make up what the other doesn't have."

"But that special vibe is supposed to be there – you have to feel it!"

They resumed walking while carrying on this bizarre conversation; the issue of the necklace momentarily forgotten.

**- Nearby a Park -**

Standing in front of a vending machine was a plain-looking boy with short brown hair and a round face. Compared to his companions, he didn't stand out as much in either looks or personality, but he didn't mind and neither did his associates. He was here, eyes scanning over the drink selections, after having offered to get drinks for himself and some friends.

As he reached into his pocket for some change, some distance away he heard a group of boys making discourteous remarks about the latest movie their girlfriends had gone to see. He was about to place some coins into the machine when something strange began to happen – the machine _moved_.

It wasn't unusual for a vending machine to move, since the motorized parts were what allowed the drinks to come out. What Ooyama saw however was the whole machine start to tremble with a screeching sound, and it lifted into the air before him. Shocked, he jumped back, and saw a man in a bartender suit gripping the machine and hauling it over his head. In the next instant, he threw the machine, and it soared through the air to land in the middle of the group of boys Ooyama had overheard just moments ago.

The boys stumbled and fell on their backsides, eyes wide and mouths agape as they stared at the crumpled machine in front of them. They turned their heads, and as soon as they saw the glare of the man who had tossed it, they scrambled to their feet and ran off.

Ooyama looked from the broken vending machine to the man, who was walking off with his hands shoved into his pockets, muttering to himself. He had just witnessed the power of one of the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro up close and in person. While he had seen a number of abnormalities in the afterlife, more strange than the man's strength, the fact was that this was the living – and that made the man's abilities truly unreal.

He turned his eyes back to the upended vending machine, the corners of which had dented and rippled with the force of having crashed to the pavement. He wondered if there was another machine nearby.

- **The Park -**

Two boys sneezed in unison.

"That was strange." The boy sitting atop the backrest rubbed the back of an index finger under his nose. "I wonder if there's something in the air. It looks like T.K. sneezed too."

Across the open space of the park the blond boy who loved to dance had toppled to the ground in a flail of limbs as he sneezed during the performance of a head spin. The spectators gathered around him had started in surprise murmured, asking if he was alright.

"I wonder if someone's talking about us."

The other boy sitting on the bench grunted. "If it's something bad, I'll pummel 'em."

"Oi, oi, Yurippe told us not to attract too much attention to ourselves. It'll be trouble if we get involved with some gang."

Although they were trying to be careful about what they said and did, their appearance contradicted the intention. The purple-haired boy on the bench seat, Noda, had a seemingly constant scowl on his face; while Fujimaki had the perfect lackluster eyes for a delinquent. Each of them held something propped against their body to be used as a weapon: a shirasaya and a long metal rod about two meters in length. Noda used to wield a halberd, but it wasn't something he could carry in public without drawing attention.

"Colour gangs…" Noda muttered under his breath.

"They're all trouble. Even the colourless Dollars, since we can't tell who's in it."

"That's freakin' irritating. What's the point of being in a gang if you don't know who the other members are?"

"It's definitely got advantages and disadvantages."

The boy who had left them minutes earlier returned carrying four cold drinks. "You're talking about the Dollars?" He passed his companions two of the drinks and said, "Speaking of them, I saw Heiwajima Shizuo at the machine. He's one of them, right?"

"Supposedly." Fujimaki opened his can of coffee and took a swig. "Is that what that crashing sound was?"

"Yeah. I had to find a different machine. There were some boys that irked him for some reason."

"Not him, then." Noda stared down the lip of his bottled tea before lifting up to drink.

"No. If it was the commotion should have been a lot bigger." Ooyama turned and headed toward T.K. with an extra drink in hand.

Fujimaki tilted his gaze upward to the blue sky above – the same sky under which numerous dangerous characters dwelled.

- **Sunshine City -**

A male university student stood in the shade outside the cinema. He watched as people passed in front of him, none of them the girl he was waiting for. The weather was as sunny as it had been on the day he had reunited with her. It had been an unexpected meeting. He had been walking along the sidewalk on his way to work when he heard the humming of a particular song. In an instant his mind was flooded with memories and his body filled with emotions; including a flash of a girl humming a song and how he had felt when that girl left him alone in the afterlife.

Checking his watch, he tilted his head. She wasn't late, but it was approaching their designated meeting time. He caught sight of someone coming toward him and he lifted his head.

A girl with silver hair stood before him, dressed in a summer dress and light cardigan with sandals on her petite feet. She held her purse clasped in both hands by the handle. "Yuzuru, have you been waiting long?"

The boy smiled and replied, "Not at all," as the line expected from a television drama.

She nodded and returned the smile. "I was a bit worried I would be late. I had a slight delay at school."

"If it was related to school then it's fine."

She shook her head and said, "No, a boy was confessing to me."

"Ehh? Really?" If he took the time to think about it, then Otonashi wouldn't have found that much of a surprise. Kanade was pretty, quiet, studious… a type that a number of guys would be interested in.

"I told him I already have a boyfriend, and a kouhai also came to my defense."

"Hnn…" Otonashi thought the kouhai must have been quite a person to come to the aid of a senior being confessed to. "So, who's this boyfriend you spoke of?" he asked with a humorous grin.

Kanade responded in kind with a gentle smile of her own. "I wonder…"

The couple quietly laughed to themselves and stepped into the cinema. Immediately they were greeted with cool air and the scents of sweets and popcorn. Neither of them were hungry, so they moved ahead to the appropriate theater. Other couples were milling about the cinema, as well as some families and a few adults. More notable were the number of teenage girls.

Otonashi glanced sidelong at the girl by his side. "Are you looking forward to the movie?"

"Yes. Hanejima Yuuhei is very talented." Her expression visibly changed to reflect her excitement, amber eyes shining under the cinema lights. "I like seeing him in different types of roles. He's so versatile."

There was never a moment when Otonashi tired of learning more about the girl formerly thought to be an angel. Everyone in the SSS had perceived her to be, for the most part, an emotionless student council president who butted into everyone's business in order to force them to attend classes and disappear. She had been more than that. She was one of them, a normal person who ended up in the afterlife with her own feelings and likings; such as the spicy mapo tofu no one ever ordered. She only had problems conveying those feelings. Otonashi wondered if maybe that was why she liked Hanejima Yuuhei so much – he was able to express himself flawlessly in any role he had.

They found two empty seats together close to the center of the dimly lit theater. Most of the other people in the theater were teenagers here to see the latest Hanejima Yuuhei movie and couples on a date. A few rows in front of them were one of these couples, already huddled closely together though the movie had yet to begin.

Otonashi blinked and squinted at them. The girl was whispering what were probably sweet nothings to the boy sitting beside her, both arms wrapped around one of his. The boyfriend was gazing at her face, and he slid his fingers down her cheek to stop somewhere at her neck. As he did this, Otonashi was able to make out the boy's profile, and his posture straightened in recognition.

He leaned in to the girl sitting beside him and whispered, "Hey, aren't those two…?" Otonashi trailed off and saw Kanade slightly nod her head.

Kanade would have recognized the pair more easily than Otonashi. After all, they attended the same high school as she did. Those two people, the couple in front of them, were Harima Mika and Yagiri Seiji.

- **A few hours later at Russian Sushi -**

"WE'RE HERE!"

"Yui, don't shout!" Hisako pulled on the back of Yui's collar to reign her in.

Thankfully, though maybe not for the restaurant, there weren't many customers; so at length the group of four girls was spared from the stares of strangers.

"Ahhh, Yui; Hisako, Irie, Sekine – welcome!" The tout for the restaurant greeted the girls. They had only been here a handful of times, but already he had managed to learn all their names. "Please, sit, sit." He ushered them into a tatami room and called over his shoulder. "Iwasawa! Your friends here!"

Iwasawa appeared from the kitchen a second later, having heard Yui's boisterous entrance. "Ahh, thanks, Simon-san. I'll finish the rest of the dishes right after."

"No worry, you enjoy friends." He graciously smiled and left to fetch some tea for the girls.

"Sorry for interrupting your work," said Irie from the far end of the table.

"Don't worry about it. The owner and Simon-san like you guys," Iwasawa replied. She pulled off the handkerchief from around her head and put it in her pocket.

"Yeah, it's Yui who should be apologizing," Hisako remarked as Iwasawa sat next to her. "She's always calling these impromptu meetings."

Seated beside Irie, Sekine said, "Yui, why didn't you just tell us the news in your message?" Straight-faced, she teasingly added, "Miyukichi was scared to come here this time you know, what with knowing the truth about the headless rider and all."

Irie grabbed Sekine's arm and slightly shook her. "Shiorin, you don't have to tell them that!"

"My news is too big for a text message! If I tried, it'd blow up the internets!" Yui replied with gusto.

"You're as zealous as ever, I see," Hisako observed. "So? What's the news?"

A wide grin that showed off Yui's canines spread across her face. She stood up, cleared her throat, and pounded a fist on her chest. "Senpai, Yui is proud to announce that your precious kouhai has acquired a rehearsal room with sound engineering equipment for GirlDeMo to use!"

The band stared in silence at Yui for a second.

"…"

"Ehhh?"

"For real?"

"Yui, how did you manage that?"

"Heh-heh-heh!" Yui's chest rose with each proud, self-contained chuckle. "I got some help from a couple of friends from the dojo I go to. They have a brother who's got connections."

Sekine leant her arms on the table as she regarded the pink-haired girl. "Wow, Yui's surprisingly remarkable when it comes to these things."

"Sekine-senpai, that 'surprisingly' part was unnecessary!" Yui plunked down next to the blonde and pouted with her hands balled into fists.

At that moment Simon returned to the tatami room with a tray of green tea. As he passed the steaming glasses around he said, "Now, now, friends should not fight. Eat instead. Eat, eat."

"Ah, don't worry Simon-san," Irie reassured him. "This little bit is normal for us."

"We will eat though," Hisako said. "The same as usual, Iwasawa? Iwasawa?"

Iwasawa jerked her head up and looked round at her friend. "Eh? Um, sorry?"

Having a fair idea of what had been occupying Iwasawa's mind, Hisako wryly smiled. "Geez, what is it you want to eat?"

They ended up choosing what they usually had, and Simon took the order to the chef. On 50% off days or whenever Simon was inclined to offer them a discount, they may have added to or otherwise changed up their order. For the most part though they stuck with their favourites, which may have been for the best anyway. Once Russian Sushi had offered condiments turned into sushi because they had run low on inventory. Such an occurrence was less likely to happen nowadays though, since the SSS's Saitou had begun making fish deliveries.

"Let me guess," Hisako said as she looped a finger into the handle of her glass of tea. "You were thinking over what Yui said about the rehearsal room, right?"

"Mm." Iwasawa lifted her own glass of tea to her lips. "I was wondering what songs we should record."

"All of them!" Yui excitedly slapped her hands on the table. "_Crow Song_, _Alchemy_, _Thousand Enemies_ – and definitely _My Song_!"

Sekine raised a hand. "Wait, what are we making? A demo CD or an album?"

"It'd be nice if we could sell our own album," said Irie, "but would we be able to record those songs again if we get signed?"

"What's with the 'if,' Irie-senpai?" Yui demanded. "Of course Girls Dead Monster will get signed!"

"That's a biased opinion, Yui." Sekine responded rationally, though she was appreciative of Yui's assertion.

Hisako gazed into her green tea, the steam rising and clouding the glass. "It's fine either way. I say we record a few tracks for a demo and make an independent album. What do you think, Iwasawa?"

The band's leader slightly inclined her head in thought. "Yes. I've been thinking about making an album ever since we went to that live house."

"You mean when we played with those other all-girl bands? Yeah, we didn't have an album to exchange." Hisako recalled that a few of the bands had made CDs to sell at the live house.

"Ahhh! Like those ENOZ girls!" Yui's faux tail wagged as she remembered that night. "They were pretty good!"

"I kind of wished those Houkago Tea Time girls had one," Irie wistfully mused.

Sekine let out a cheery giggle. "Their lyrics were cute."

The chatter of the girls over the bands they had met that particular night was punctuated by a muffled ringing. The source seemed to be coming from Iwasawa, so she reached into her pocket to extract her mobile. She briefly peered at the screen and then opened the message she had been sent. It was from Nakamura Yuri.

**- Around the same time -**

A single light was on in the house as a girl bent over some papers in her room. This house was not the one she had lived in as a child. That remote house held too much pain in her family's memory, and so they had moved to a residential area. Simply moving houses does not make death inescapable however. One day, the final Nakamura child, Yuri, met her demise and was ripped from her parents – or so the family had thought.

Yuri's parents were leaning over her upon her awakening in a hospital room. She had been told that she had been in a coma; but something about that didn't seem right. Her last memory, though foggy, was that she felt she was going to die. No, somehow she was sure she had died. Her parents were overjoyed with her recovery. After all, they had thought they had lost their only remaining child. Yuri was faintly at ease when she realized that her living meant her parents did not have to despair over having lost all their children; but traces of apprehension remained.

Her life resumed, but the apprehension remained, hanging over her like a ghost. When she walked on the streets her gaze would sometimes roam, but she didn't know what she was looking for. Once when her parents asked her what as wrong, she simply replied she was still getting used to being awake after so long. She searched online for any side effects of a coma that could possibly explain what she was feeling, but nothing satisfied her. Exhausted, she began browsing for something that would take her mind off her anxiety – and she clicked on a video.

There were no visuals, but the title of the video caused her brows to draw together – and when the audio began to play, the visuals Yuri saw were not on the monitor, but in her head. Flashes of a school, blades, a tunnel, uniforms, guns, lights, and people, flooded her mind like a videocassette on fast-forward. It finally ended with the image of two boys and a girl in a gymnasium.

Yuri gripped the edge of the desk and put a hand to her mouth, feeling slightly ill from shock. She _was_ dead. She had been dead, along with a number of other people who had belonged to a battlefront she had created in the afterlife. They had been fighting in retaliation of the terrible lives they had to endure while living; but then, with the aid of the last person to join their group, everyone had been able to find contentment and move on. Yet, that was the problem.

Everyone had assumed they would be reborn into the world with a new life, whether it was as a person or a water flea – but here Yuri sat, as herself when she had been alive, with the same parents and the same life; before she had entered into that state of the afterlife. What had happened? Was that not the afterlife after all? Was it even real? Did what they had accomplished mean nothing?

A small gasp of air filled Yuri's lungs as she darted her eyes up to the computer screen. The title above the blank video… Yuri whispered it as though it was sacred. Her hand flew to the mouse and she clicked at the user profile. The name was a handle, but an email address was provided in the according cell. As fast as her trembling hands could, Yuri typed out a name on her mobile and sent it. Her stomach churned as she wondered how soon she would receive a reply. It wasn't long. The phone chimed and Yuri pressed the button to open the message:

_Yuri? Is this you?_

Another gasp. Steadying her hands, Yuri wrote back:

_How did you know?_

Another response:

_Well, I've already been in contact with some of the members. Of those who haven't, you're the only one who ever called me 'Iwasawa-san.'_

"Honestly… music really can bring people together." Yuri smiled in amused wonderment at the memory. Luckily, one of the people who had been in contact with Iwasawa was Takeyama. With his tech skills, it was simple enough to find the remaining former members of the SSS; and he developed a password-protected website so they could stay in touch.

Everyone had reported the same loss of memory from their time during the afterlife; but upon hearing Iwasawa's song, they regained it instantly. The most curious thing was Iwasawa's account of what had happened when she awoke – she had remembered it all; Angel, the battlefront, its members, and what they had been fighting for. It puzzled everyone, and could have been considered lucky or unlucky.

Yuri thought back to a chat session the SSS had one evening – the strange tale of an Irish fairie who had a voice like Iwasawa's. She opened a browser and began shifting through news articles online. A while ago there had been an incident in Ikebukuro where the headless rider had been recorded attacking several shady men in dark suits. Yuri gathered her thoughts for a moment. She reached for her cell phone, typed up a message and hit send.

She shuffled the papers on her desk, going over the information that the SSS members had collectively gathered so far. Takeyama had discovered they had been in another facility before awakening in a hospital; and Yuri had to wonder, had to know, if those men had anything to do with that place:

Yagiri Pharmaceuticals

* * *

><p>AN: Senpai = Upperclassmen; Kouhai = Underclassmen  
>Kana Hanazawa is the Japanese voice actress for Anri and Kanade.<br>souer ceremony = from the series "Maria-sama ga Miteru"  
>souer = French for sister<br>Akagi Kouhei = a classmate of Kousaka Kyousuke's from "Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai"  
>ENOZ = the all-girl band from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya"<br>Houkago Tea Time = the all-girl band from "K-ON!"  
>houkago = after school<p> 


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